The present invention relates to poles, and, more particularly, to concrete filled steel poles. Poles generally are fixed at their lower end (typically bolted or buried into the ground) and generally have weights or applied loads on their upper end (such as light fixtures or electrical conductors). These loads impose bending, shear and normal forces along the pole length. A pole is primarily designed to effectively withstand bending forces, and it should be able to withstand the flexural loads imposed on it without exceeding the prescribed deflection limits. This may be contrasted with columns, which are typically designed to withstand mainly vertical (compression) loads.